Eade to join Collingwood coaching team

Michael Gleeson

12.30pm update: Collingwood has appointed Rodney Eade 'football and coaching strategist', as reported this morning.

MICHAEL Malthouse has removed himself from the uncomfortably sticky prospect of watching over Nathan Buckley's shoulder next year, but the new Collingwood coach will have a senior coach riding with him.

Former Western Bulldogs and Sydney coach Rodney Eade will be appointed to an overseeing and mentoring role at Collingwood this week.

Eade has been in the running for the St Kilda coaching position, but is expected to take the firm job offer now and withdraw from the Saints' process. The role for Eade will partly incorporate duties that Malthouse would otherwise have performed had he stayed at Collingwood - overseeing high-performance strategies, innovations and development - but, unlike Malthouse, Eade will have a role on match day in the box. There may also be some element of opposition analysis within the role.

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Collingwood has already appointed Ben Hart to the club as defensive coach, while Scott Watters, who was defensive coach this year, will become midfield coach should he not succeed in his bid for the St Kilda position.

Malthouse made the surprising announcement in his post-match press conference that he would not be at Collingwood next year. He had reached a decision with president Eddie McGuire and the club executive about six weeks ago that he would leave after the finals.

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Malthouse yesterday bade farewell to the crowd of about 1000 who turned up at Gosch's Paddock yesterday saying the club was well positioned to win the flag next year.

''Rest assured this football club can only get better because of yesterday,'' Malthouse said.

''I think you look at the age of our players … Chris Tarrant is our oldest player and he is as fit as he was five years ago. (He) had a fantastic year. Next oldest is Leon Davis, All-Australian this year, Ben Johnson who had a pretty good year. They are our three oldest players.''

Leigh Brown is the only confirmed player to be leaving the club after announcing his retirement. Brown has indicated an interest in coaching and will speak with several clubs in the coming weeks.

Davis's future at Collingwood remains uncertain with the small defender indicating an interest to return to family in Western Australia.

Yesterday he said he would ''definitely like to stay'' at Collingwood, but he would make a decision on his future over the holidays.

Davis's decision will also be partly based on having a club to go to and contract available in Perth. At 30, he would be a very short-term proposition.

Midfielder John McCarthy, who has been on Collingwood's fringe for several years, is understood to be interested in a trade due to lack of opportunity. North Melbourne is believed to be among clubs interested in him.

Collingwood captain Nick Maxwell said the players were enthusiastic about Buckley taking over and refreshing the group with new ideas and a new voice.

''We're looking forward to having 'Bucks' take over. It's obviously going to be a change for us, we feel like it's going to be a change for the good,'' Maxwell said.

''You never know what you're going to get. I know that we're going to get someone who's 100 per cent committed to their job, I know we're going to get someone who is disciplined and will instruct that upon us and want us to play that way.

''He's been planning for this for four years. He's been in the media for a couple [of years] and then with us for a couple.

''He'll be direct in what he wants. We'll know where we'll all stand.

''Obviously it's going to be different but Geelong showed us that a new coach coming in can help reinvigorate some players as well,'' Maxwell said.